After the state of emergency was lifted... Sudan's forces varied between dialogue and intensified demands for the removal of the military

Khartoum -

Sudan woke up on Sunday morning to the calls of the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, head of the transition support mission "UNITAMS", Volker Peretz, to the government authorities to end the state of emergency and work to resolve the political crisis in the country peacefully.

The day ended with a decree from the President of the Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, lifting the state of emergency in all parts of the country.

I am deeply outraged by the killing of two young protesters in Khartoum yesterday.

Once again: it is time to stop the violence, it is time to end the state of emergency, it is time for a peaceful exit from the current crisis in Sudan.

— Volker Perthes (@volkerperthes) May 29, 2022

According to the decree, Al-Burhan's response to the recommendations of the Security and Defense Council (the highest security body) regarding the state of emergency is due to working to create the atmosphere for establishing a "fruitful and meaningful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period."

The United Nations Mission in Sudan, the African Union, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are leading efforts to push the Sudanese parties to dialogue and bridge the growing gap between the military and civilians since the army seized power on October 25, 2021.

In his first speech after assuming power at the time, Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency and dissolved the Sovereignty Council and the Council of Ministers.

It also suspended work on some provisions of the constitutional document, and froze the work of the Empowerment Removal Committee, in a move described by the Forces of Freedom and Change - the Central Council Group (the partner of the military component in the isolated government) as a "military coup" against power.

However, the decision did not stop the protest movement demanding the restoration of civilian rule over the past seven months, despite dozens of arrests, and the death and injury of large numbers of protesters.

Some observers believe that lifting the state of emergency reflects the military's understanding that the actions of October 25 were based on wrong estimates (Getty Images)

welcome

The political reactions to the decisions to lift the state of emergency ranged from a strong welcome, and a demand for the decision to be reinforced with more measures, to an absolute rejection.

The leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change (National Accord Group), Khaled Abu Humaidan, said that the authorities' decision to lift the state of emergency and release political detainees came "at the right time."

He added - to Al-Jazeera Net - that the step contributes to creating a large space for consensus, and for the Sudanese to avoid international sanctions, before a scheduled session of the Security Council on the situation in the country.

The National Accord Group came to power after the transitional government concluded a peace agreement with the rebel movements in Juba in 2020.

Serious steps that the government is taking through the Sovereign Council to lift the state of emergency today in order to push the process of direct dialogue forward. We welcome these steps and work seriously on our part to bring the country to safety through a comprehensive transparent dialogue process without exclusion and specific goals and parties…..

— Mubarak Ardol (@MubarakArdol) May 29, 2022

Not far from this position, Lieutenant-General Siddiq Muhammad Ismail, deputy head of the National Umma Party, saw that the decree lifting the state of emergency was "a salute from the military, worthy of a political response with a similar or better salute."

Ismail - to Al-Jazeera Net - said that the decree settles the ways to conduct a serious national dialogue to remove all causes of political tension, leading to a solution that would end the current crisis in the country.

He called for stopping the escalation in the street, after implementing one of the main demands of the protesters, and pushing for dialogue as a mechanism to end the differences.

Sudanese protesters call for Al-Burhan to stop repression (European)

More demands

For his part, Nour El-Din Salah - a leader in the Forces of Freedom and Change (Central Council Group) and a member of the Political Bureau of the Sudanese Congress Party - describes raising the state of emergency as a tactical step and an attempt to buy time by the existing authority, and said that the decision resulted from pressure on the authorities internally and externally. .

And about the possibility of opening the way for a dialogue between the Sudanese parties, Salah stressed - to Al Jazeera Net - that engaging in any political process depends on measures, foremost of which is "stopping the machine of repression, canceling the decision that returned the intelligence service the powers of arrest and inspection, preventing seminars and providing immunity to its employees that prevents them from being held accountable."

He added, "Also, any dialogue should be preceded by an agreement on the objectives of the political process, namely ending military rule and establishing a civilian authority in which the regular forces are one of the state institutions and not a partner in governance."

In January 2019, the Coalition of Forces of Freedom and Change (Central Council Group) led popular protests that toppled President Omar al-Bashir (1989-2019), and the group turned into the ruling coalition of the isolated government led by civilians (2019-2021).

Refusal and renew no's

A member of the Central Committee of the Sudanese Communist Party, Saleh Mahmoud, believes that the decisions to lift the state of emergency will not contribute to resolving the Sudanese crisis.

Mahmoud said - to Al Jazeera Net - that the decree addresses part of the Sudanese problem, and ignores the total complications, and the street's adherence to full civil authority that achieves retribution for the victims, and that "the solution lies in listening to the voice of the street."

The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (a parallel entity to the Doctors Union) announced the death of 98 people in the protests against the military rule, most of them from the capital, Khartoum.

The Communist Party withdrew from the Coalition for Freedom and Change in November 2020, in protest against what it called "the alliance's conclusion of suspicious agreements with internal and external forces, with the aim of overthrowing the revolution."

In the same direction, a member of the secretariat of the Sudanese Professionals Association, Hassan Farouk, went by declaring their adherence to the three no's (no negotiation, no partnership, no legitimacy).

The gathering of professionals and the resistance coordinators refuse to sit at any dialogue table with the military leaders.

Farouk told Al Jazeera Net that Al-Burhan's decisions pave the way for political reconciliation between civilians and the military, and later allow the accession of elements of the Bashir regime and its partner forces.

He added that any attempts to exceed the aspirations of the Sudanese street are doomed to failure, as happened to the resigned Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok.

Hamdok returned to his position as prime minister, after concluding an agreement with Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in November 2021, before submitting his resignation after failing to form a government.

Farouk ridiculed the talk about the possibility of a split in the street after the emergency was lifted. He said that "the Sudanese movements to restore democracy did not stop even in light of the state of emergency, and they will not stop until their aspirations are fully realized."

Analysts say the pressure of the street on the forces of Sudan will likely lead to obstructing the course of dialogue with the military (Reuters)

return and escalate

On the other hand, political analyst and editor-in-chief of Al-Sudani newspaper, Ataf Muhammad Mukhtar, stresses that the lifting of the state of emergency provides new evidence that the proof is seeking to return the clock to before October 25.

He said - to Al-Jazeera Net - that "the decree confirms that the military's attempt to seize power was based on wrong assessments, which calls for their exit from the political equation completely."

For his part, political science professor Mohi El-Din Mohamed believes that lifting the emergency paves the way for removing one of the main obstacles in the way of dialogue.

He told Al Jazeera Net, "Either the decision contributes to the acceptance of the Forces of Freedom and Change (the Central Council) in direct dialogue with the military, or it considers it a concession that requires raising the ceilings of its demands, which obstructs the path of a political settlement."

Muhammad suggests that freedom and change will resort to the second option, as a result of pressures on the street, which threatens to widen the gap between the components of the political scene.